Pickings will be slim when Celtics’ turn arrives in the NBA Draft

Jim Fenton

Thursday

Jun 25, 2009 at 12:01 AMJun 25, 2009 at 8:09 PM

Boston has only the No. 58 pick after dealing its first-rounder to the Minnesota Timberwovles as part of the Kevin Garnett trade in 2007. Very few players taken between Nos. 50 and 60 have turned out to be contributors during the past decade.

How irrelevant has the 58th pick in the NBA Draft been over the last decade?

Those are the names that have been called in that slot near the end of the draft since 1999, and not one of them has come close to making even a minimal impact in the NBA.

That is what the Boston Celtics have to look forward to tonight as they wait roughly four hours before getting a chance to draft a player at No. 58 (7:30 p.m., TV: ESPN).

Help will not be arriving for the Celtics via the draft, who have only a second-round pick after trading the first-rounder (No. 28) to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 2007 Kevin Garnett trade.

Even executive director of basketball operations Danny Ainge finds it hard to get enthused in the Celtics’ participation in the draft this summer.

“With us at 58, we would have discussion about selling the pick,’’ said Ainge, “not because we’re looking for the money, but we just may not want to draft a player at 58 that we don’t think will make our roster.

“There’s not a need in drafting somebody that’s not as good as the players you have.’’

In the past 10 years, very few players drafted between Nos. 50 and 60 overall have been able to contribute with the best of the bunch being Manu Ginobili. He was taken by the San Antonio Spurs at No. 57 in 1999 and has been a key player on three NBA championship teams.

Ryan Gomes (taken No. 50 by the Celtics in 2005), Kyle Korver (No. 51 by the New Jersey Nets in 2003) and Luis Scola (No. 55 by the Spurs in 2002) have been solid contributors.

Other than that, the pickings have been slim in the final phase of the draft, which is where the Celtics are sitting this evening.

“It’s a lot different than the NFL draft where most first- and second-round picks make it and have success in the NFL,’’ said Ainge, who figures he has a .3 percent chance of finding a successful player at No. 58. “In basketball, it’s different. After the top five picks, the odds go way down.’’

Ainge, who has been in charge of the Celtics since 2003, has found help in the second round.

Gomes, a standout at Providence College, developed into a role player for the Celtics and the Timberwolves. Leon Powe, drafted at No. 49 in 2006, was part of the championship team in 2008 and continued making strides last season before suffering a knee injury.

Point guard Gabe Pruitt was taken in the second round in 2007 and forward Bill Walker made the roster as a second-round pick last season.

Asked what he looks for when going after second-rounders like those four, Ainge said, “Some special skill they may have. In the cases of Billy and Leon, they were players that were injured (in college) that were much higher projected players, so we took a chance that they would get healthy and contribute.

“With Ryan Gomes, why he was available at 50, I have no idea. I still can’t comprehend that. He was a college All-American and just a real solid player. He was not the ideal size for his position.

“We’re looking for the best players that are available, and it could be a situation like Ryan Gomes, who was a solid college contributor who goes under the radar, or it could be players that had injuries. You’re taking health risks and talent risks and character risks usually when you’re drafting in the 50s when you are looking for a diamond in the rough.’’

Ainge and his staff have watched about 100 players work out and have looked into a couple hundred more in the days leading up to the draft.

With the Celtics being in a position to contend for a title in 2009-10, Ainge said there is no chance of the team moving up into the upper echelon of the draft as they seek immediate help, which would come in free agency.

“We have not made an effort to get any of the top picks,’’ said Ainge. “We’ve had discussions. There’s a big difference between seeing what the price may be and seeing what it would take to get a top pick, but we have not tried to get a top pick.

“We’ve evaluated the entire draft from top to bottom. We’re still in the process of identifying those players we’d take in our current position. We’re also exploring options of players we really like that we might move up in the draft (for) and what the price might be to move up in the draft.

“I think that’s unlikely, though. I think moving up in the draft is going to be unlikely.’’

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